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mark passages that warrant further discussion.
You will do
four kinds of writing:
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a weekly question due on Monday
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weekly response papers based on study questions and
web resources, including one on an issue of canon formation:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Uncle Tom's Cabin?
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A “footnote” on historical influences of a text or
author
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an influence study linking a present day writer to
earlier literary periods,themes, styles
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quizzes on the the historical sections in our
anthology,
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Monday
question
-- Students should read the assigned works prior to each class period.
Furthermore, students should come to class with at least one question that will get the class
talking (only on Monday will it have to be in writing). Your question
should help you (and us) examine what you believe to be the most
important ideas of the piece. Try to ask questions that get at its
purpose and its significance, assumptions and biases, evidence and
argument. Avoid simplistic questions that can be answered with a
"yes" or a "no" or with a simple objective fact. If
you wish, some of your questions may draw parallels or contrasts among
the other readings for the course. Write your question on an index card
and turn it in at the beginning of class. Asking questions is a key
element to your academic success. Many students enter the university
thinking the accumulation of information is the goal of their work, but
the questions they are able to ask help them to focus their study and
discriminate between important and less important information--whether
they are preparing for an exam or writing a senior thesis.
Weekly
Response
-- Students will write weekly response entries. These responses
should be informal contemplations that nonetheless demonstrate an
active engagement with the literature. These weekly entries should be
about a page (200 -300 wrds), in length composed in response to a
particular focus question(s) that will be posted on WebCT (perhaps
emerging from our daily questions) before
class time (with some exceptions).
Purpose: Writing a response log on the
readings should help to enrich your understanding and strengthen your
powers of verbal expression. The best aspect of keeping a journal is
that it supports your personal and intellectual growth. It also
verifies that you've done the reading and thought about it.
Focus Questions -- The questions will pose
questions about the reading and may provide links to Library or Web
resources. The questions help provide a focus for your response. Entries
that ignore questions may receive little or no credit. In general, we
will ask these broad study questions
when we discuss the works, though there will be more specific ones for
each week.
Content of Entries -- You are expected to work
toward three objectives: (1) Respond to a particular study question.
(2) Show your knowledge of the reading, from beginning to end, both in
large concepts and specific details. (3) Provide a point of view about
the reading that contributes to our class discussion. You are working
to turn a mix of facts, ideas, and opinions into a crisp, coherent
statement. Your weekly response is a series of snapshots about what you
are thinking and learning.
Your entries need not be
a polished final product. The prose should be informal but clear
(please spellcheck and proofread) and could be considered the level of
discourse you might expect in a good letter or memo from a colleague at
work. It should be writing however and not "chat" (as in a
chat room), because this kind of writing/speech can be slangy,
disconnected, and simplistic in vocabulary. Please observe the
conventions of American Standard Edited English.
Criteria for assessment -- Each response will be
graded according to how successfully it: 1) exhibits a clear point of
view about the reading that opens up discussion of key issues raised by
the text; 2) uses specific evidence to support that view (along with
MLA internal notation--that means page numbers); 3) uses clear writing
(I won't be a stickler for grammar in the responses, but please use
capital letters and other conventions of non-email English). 3 pts.
each.
Footnote --
You will also be asked to write and briefly present a short paper (1-2
pages, or several pages if slides) on an extended "footnote"
from one of the texts (your choice of footnote does not have to come
from one of theirs). Unlike the short notes in the book, these
footnotes would extend and clarify obscure historical details and will
require some library or internet research (you must document your
sources per MLA). Your footnote will explicate necessary
background material, historical references or literary allusions made
by one of the writers that may be important in understanding the particular
work. For example, if Thoreau refers to the Fugitive Slave laws, you
should provide the relevant historical background and the context that
Thoreau discusses them. You should also interpret why the particular
reference is important to understanding Thoreau's piece. You may elect
to do these footnotes in pairs (possibly threes), or alone. Prepare
something that can be viewed by the class on the screen (PowerPoint,
web page, or disk), though you will also hand something in to your
instructor. We will sign up for these early in the semester. If
you wish, please talk with me about your choice and the topic you wish
to present. Sample
on Benjamin Franklin's "The Autobiography." See also these
guidelines
for the "footnote" presentation. Footnotes cannot be
made up--you must be present on the day you are scheduled to
present.
Quizzes -- Since this is a class
in American Literary History, one of our goals is to become
knowledgeable of some of the key terms and movements that span American
literature. You will be asked to
read historical/introductory sections in our anthology. Quizzes cannot
be made up. Quizzes should not present a problem to those who keep up
with the reading.
Influence Study --
Not a study of the psychological and biographical "lessons"
that led to the writer's "genius," but a study of who your
contemporary text is talking back to. What would you label it (besides
post-modern)? Is it a work of Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism,
Modernism? Why? Does it have to
do with technique, theme, subject matter (does it pick and choose,
using thematic aspects of some writers or periods, stylistic aspects of
another)? You will do some
research to find out who your writer may have studied, imitated, or
subverted (for example, Toni Morrison wrote her dissertation on
Faulkner), but you will also link them back to writers, texts, periods,
and themes we have studied in the course. Takes the place of exam but
you'll present your findings at the exam. Some possible texts to choose
from (but you may choose your own in consult with me):
A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,
Annie Dillard
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
Them, Joyce Carol Oates
White Noise, Don Delillo
Beloved, Toni Morrison
Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon
*order them through Powells,
Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble,
etc.
Policies
Presence, Preparation, and Participation -- English courses are not
lecture courses; they are reading and writing courses that require your
consistent and active engagement. As such, they often have a de facto attendance
policy, as this one does. You can't earn high marks in this process if
you aren't present, prepared, and participating. Your instructor and
your classmates expect you to attend regularly and prepare thoughtfully
for each class session. Complete the assignments prior to our meeting
and come to class ready to work, share, and listen. Writers seldom work
completely in isolation all the time; therefore, it is important, at
different stages of the writing and revising process, to share
information, discuss strategies, and receive feedback. Throughout the
semester, you will most likely work closely with your classmates
reading and responding to each other's work. Everyone will benefit if
we are all prepared to engage in this type of work. If you miss five
days of class (for whatever reason), your grade will be affected and
you should consider withdrawing from the course). If you miss seven
(again, for whatever reason), you will have missed so much in terms of
daily work and instruction that you will unconditionally fail the
course. Persons missing one class or none will receive extra credit.
Lateness and coming to class without a book will count as ½ absence.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism — The University Affairs Council
has asked all faculty to include the following statement in our course
policies:
"By accepting
admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to
understand, support, and abide by the University Honor Code without
compromise or exception. Violations of academic integrity will not be
tolerated. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the
Honor Code. Please refer to your Student Handbook for details."
Plagiarism, or the use
of work by another person, or the use of someone else's words, ideas or
arrangement of ideas without giving proper reference to the author, is
a serious violation of the Honor Code. You must give credit to other
people's ideas and words, even if you put the idea in your own words
(even if you paraphrase it). You must also provide full and correct
documentation of the exact location of any sources that helped you,
including Web or electronic resources. Plagiarism will result in an
"F" for the course and the institution of formal disciplinary
procedures.
Students
with Disabilities — If
you are seeking classroom accommodations under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), you are required to register with the
Disability Resource Office (DRO). The DRO is located in the
Center for Counseling and Student Development on the lower level of
Tyler Hall, and can be reached at 831-6350. To receive academic
accommodations, please obtain the DRO forms and then meet with your
instructor.
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Grading
Note:
Grading is not a mathematical science; I will consider effort, and
sincere, constructive class participation may raise your grade.
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Requirements
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Pts
possible / earned
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Weekly
Response (12 responses, 5 pts each.
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60
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Influence
Study
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25
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Ps
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20
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Footnote
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10
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Monday
Question
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12
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Quizzes
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20
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Total
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147
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At any point
on the course, you can check your progress toward the grade you want
to earn by totaling the points you’ve earned and dividing that by the
total number of points possible. If you ever have a question about
your standing in the course or the grade on an assignment, come by my
office, call or e-mail me, and let’s discuss it.
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